This is another great addition to The Embraced series!

As an elf, Gwennore is constantly beging rejected and ridiculed. She longs for a husband and children but is very much aware that her hopes will never be fulfilled. Instead of a family of her own, she lives with Luciana, her adopted sister, and cares for her children. While she loves them all, Eviana is the most precious to her. So when a dragon swoops down and snatches the three year old, Gwen attaches herself to its leg and refuses to let go.

Silas’ country is slowly dying from the inside. Filled with secrets and curses and an illness that has swept over Norveshka, he isolates himself with his army at the border to fight a war against the elves. When he realizes that Gwen might be able to help identify and possible rid his country of the curse his kind has lived with for hundreds of years, he will do anything to keep her. The fact that he is extremely attracted to her doesn’t play any part in his decision. None at all.

This book has quite a bit of mystique to it as it twists and turns while these characters race to find a solution before things go from bad to worse. Gwen’s gift wasn’t as much a part of the story as I had expected but the knowledge she has gained throughout her life is a huge focus of the story.
The humor here is the kind that has you smiling from the banter sprinkled liberally throughout the story. I’ve got a soft spot for dragons so I especially enjoyed Gwen’s conversations with and regarding Puff. Silas’ jealousy of the dragon was quite entertaining as well.

While this is third in the series, there isn’t a demanding need to read the previous books to understand what’s going on here. The author gives enough background information to make this a standalone even with the continuing villainy that has traveled through each of these books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.